Matchroom will unveil one of its hottest new prospects for the first time Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia during a boxing event DAZN will broadcast.
In Jalil’ Major’ Hackett, the promoter has one of the sport’s future stars. A preferred training partner of Gervonta Davis, Hackett is one of the few fighters able to test ‘Tank’ in sparring. Hackett is a prospect so talented a company like Matchroom could build part of its future tentpole event offering around the 21-year-old.
As World Boxing News previously reported, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis helped convince Hackett to join him at Matchroom. And though they both compete in separate welterweight fights in Philly this weekend, they will never fight one another. “I wouldn’t entertain it,” Hackett told us. “And neither would he.”
One Matchroom stablemate Hackett would entertain fighting, though, is Conor Benn. And if Hackett defeats Saturday’s opponent, Peter Dobson, in style, then comparisons may well be drawn between the 147-pounders.
Hackett, you see, has already finished seven of his eight opponents to date, and should he extend that hot streak this weekend by knocking Dobson down or out, then he’ll have one-upped Benn, who could beat Dobson only by lop-sided decision when they fought at a Las Vegas show earlier this year.
On the prospective match-up, Hackett told World Boxing News that “it’s definitely possible” he one day fights Benn.
Hackett, though, refuses to call anyone out — Benn or otherwise — and prefers to leave the matchmaking to “Eddie [Hearn] and the team at Matchroom. It’s all up to them to make it happen.”
WBN ran the prospective match-up past Matchroom brass. “Though they are in the same division, we haven’t given that any thought just yet,” the company’s COO, Shaun Palmer, who has played a pivotal role in the growth of Matchroom USA, told us.
Hackett “is very young, with a relatively short record,” said Palmer, who added that it would be a statement should he even take out Dobson.
The Dobson fight is Hackett’s first under the Matchroom banner and the first all year as he shakes off the ring rust and looks to compete regularly through the rest of the year and into 2025.
Should he box 12 times in the next 18 months, then he’ll have extended his record into his 20th contest — and could have Prospect of the Year honors under his belt, much like Ennis did in 2020.
“That would be a big accolade and a big step in the right direction,” he said.
He has his eyes set on even bigger accolades, though — a world championship title. And it’s one he envisions winning before he’s even turned 23 years old.
“I predict between 18 and 24 months, I’ll be ready [for a world title shot] with a resume that the world will believe I’m ready.”
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
